Kushtagi (Koppal): A second division assistant at the Kushtagi block education officer’s (BEO) office has been suspended following allegations of misappropriation of govt funds through unauthorised transfers to multiple bank accounts over nearly six years.Kanakanagouda Yamanappa was suspended on Oct 6 by Ananthakumar AS, DDPI, Koppal, following prima facie findings of misuse of govt funds and negligence of duty.The alleged irregularities surfaced during an audit conducted by a team from the Accountant General’s (AG) office on Sept 28. The team sought 135 files for verification, but the BEO’s office could produce records for only 45. Vouchers and other supporting documents for the remaining 90 files were unavailable, the audit report noted.In a complaint lodged with Kushtagi police, BEO Umadevi Basapur alleged that funds meant for various payments, including earned leave encashment for retired employees, honorariums for guest teachers, general provident fund (GPF) payments and dearness allowance (DA) arrears, were diverted to other bank accounts instead of being disbursed as prescribed.The complaint alleged that Rs 7,63,149 was credited to Kanakanagouda’s account. Two accounts belonging to Shivarudrappa Amaresh Bandi (Muttanna) allegedly received Rs 26,75,010 and Rs 14,66,134.Another Rs 90,000 was allegedly transferred to Pooja Bandi’s account, while accounts belonging to Basamma Amaresh Bandi received Rs 98,333, Rs 8,11,249 and Rs 10,85,445.The complaint pegged the total amount transferred between April 14, 2020, and March 28, 2026, at Rs 69,89,320.However, the suspension order cites a higher amount of Rs 74,04,156 allegedly credited to bank accounts belonging to Kanakanagouda, Shivarudrappa Bandi, Pooja Bandi, Basamma Bandi and others. The reason for the nearly Rs 4.15 lakh difference between the figures cited in the complaint and suspension order remains unclear.The missing records have also raised questions over how the funds were transferred, who authorised the payments and why supporting documents for 90 files could not be produced. The discrepancy between the two amounts will also have to be clarified through police and departmental investigations, a senior official at the Kushtagi BEO office said.BEO Umadevi said the full details would emerge only after the investigation. She added that the matter had also been taken up with the sub-treasury.Kushtagi sub-treasury officer Tajuddin said bills were passed based on orders from the head of the department, while respective departmental officers were responsible for verifying supporting documents. He denied any connection between the sub-treasury and the alleged irregularities.
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